Garzon scores 17, Ciezki adds 16 to lead No. 9 seed Indiana to opening NCAA win over No. 8 seed Utah

COLUMBIA, S.C. — Yarden Garzon scored 17 points and Shay Ciezki added 16 as No. 9 seed Indiana won its opener for a sixth straight NCAA Tournament with a 76-68 victory over eighth-seeded Utah on Friday.

The Hoosiers (20-12) reached 20 wins for a sixth consecutive season. Their reward is a likely matchup with the Birmingham 2 Regional’s top seed in South Carolina, who will play later Friday against No. 16 seed Tennessee Tech.

Ciezki had 11 of her 16 points in the final two quarters as Indiana used a 15-4 run in the third period to take control. The Utes (22-9) got within 72-68 on Gianna Kneepkens’ 3-pointer with 1:05 left, but could get no closer.

Kneepkens led Utah with 24 points, including a four-point play in the fourth quarter.

Takeaways

Indiana: The Hoosiers had been hosts the previous four times they made the NCAAs. They showed a different venue wouldn’t change their focus.

Utah: The Utes went cold at the wrong time, missing all six shots and committing two turnovers during a third quarter stretch where they went from up 35-33 to trailing by nine.

Key moment

Garzon hit the tying basket early in the third quarter and Ciezki followed with a 3 that put Indiana ahead for good in starting a 15-4 run.